The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The tools that are currently available for the ultrasound visualization and sampling of peripheral tumors are limited in their range of motion and diagnostic capabilities. Typically, during peripheral sampling a guide sheath is fed through a bronchoscope and extended so far beyond the reach of the bronchoscope that the distal end of the guide sheath is not visible. A radial endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) miniprobe is then threaded through the guide sheath and used to determine the approximate location of the tumor.
Unfortunately, a peripheral tumor that is located off to one side of an airway (as opposed to one that is centered around an airway) has a substantially lower diagnostic yield in part due to the limitations of current radial EBUS technology, which allows the operator to discern the depth from the probe, but not the direction of the tumor.